Driven
by Tony Dark
Summary: Four warriors challenge the corrupt and decaying Frontier Brains for reasons unknown
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hey folks, Tony Dark again. Just posting a little stand-alone story, nothing to do with any of my other characters. I don't know how often I'll be updating this fic, but enjoy anyway.

**Driven**

**Prologue:**

They arrived without fanfare, without exclamation. In fact, they arrived without much of anything. Few saw them arrive. Later, those few would remember.

They didn't look like much. Just one speck spread out among the myriad other specks visible from the dock. Only a little girl saw them, and she just waved. What a silly little speck, she thought to herself, bobbing along like that!

It took an hour for that speck to double in size, which wasn't much. In another hour it had doubled again. A few more people were watching it now, mostly curiosity seekers. It would be another five hours before the captain of a small sailboat would be able to see that it was a small group of creatures, all riding on the back of a Lapras. By then most of the curiosity seekers had left, and the only witnesses were the captain, a few Wingull, the little girl, and her parents.

The little girl-her name was Madeline-took her turn with the captain's spyglass and promptly announced, "look mummy! A swimming angel!"

Her parents laughed. "There's no such thing as angels, silly!" her mother said. "That's just someone on a Lapras!"

"Well I don't care what you say, it looks like a swimming angel to me!"

Mother and father shook their heads indulgently. "Of course dear."

Madeline looked at the captain, her eyes wide as tea saucers. "You believe me, don't you Mr. Sea Captain?"

The captain, a crusty old soul by the name of Bart, looked directly into Madeline's eyes. "Har!" he said, "I ain't never seen an angel before, little miss. I'm no marr fit ta judge than y'arr! But I seen strange things on that thar sea, and I ain't one ta count it out jus' yet!"

After two more hours, Madeline's parents were becoming impatient. They clearly wished to adjourn to the hotel and sip a few Crown and Cokes while their daughter sat quietly and colored. "Come along Madeline," said her mother, a bit curtly, "it's time to go. You can clearly see that it's a trainer on a Lapras, and it's time for dinner and bed. Be a good girl and come along now!"

"But mummy!" whined Madeline. She was truly feeling tired, but she wanted to see the man with the Lapras. He seemed…special, somehow.

"Now, Madeline!" said her father, even more curtly.

Captain Bart turned to look at Madeline. "Thar thar, little miss. Old Bart'll greet yon ship and seaman, and ye jus' trot by in the marrnin' and I'll point 'im out ta ya, how that be?"

Madeline smiled. "Oh thank you Mr. Sea Captain! Goodnight!"

And with that she ran back to her parents, who caught hold of her and started quietly scolding her while they led her back to the hotel. Captain Bart chuckled, then turned to face the sea again.

Within thirty minutes, the unusual Lapras arrived at the dock. Sitting astride her shell were three of the most extraordinary creatures Captain Bart had yet seen. The first was a Charizard, tall, but slight of frame, wearing a custom-fit leather jacket. The second was a Pokémon, but like no other the Captain had seen before. It was red, with a white underbelly, and it wore a down-gray turtleneck with a long neck to cover its own. The third was a man. But such a man as Captain Bart hadn't seen in many a year! He was tall, with a dark, weatherbeaten face. His hair was black as the stormy sea, and beneath his bangs glinted the hardest, most determined eyes the Captain had seen in decades. Little else could be told about him, for he wore a trenchcoat as gray as choppy waters. Even the Lapras was strange, for it wore a scarf wound around its neck.

The man stepped onto the dock. The Charizard followed him, and the strange pokèmon floated up and onto its shoulder. The man jutted his chin sharply in the direction of the gate.

"Come on," he said in a gravelly voice.

Captain Bart was astounded as all three pokèmon followed him, the Lapras rising up on a pillar of ice and swishing down a ramp of it.

OOOOOOO

The woman at the gate was not having a good day. The summer holiday season was upon them, and dealing with the crowds of merrymakers had left her tired and frustrated. She was off in five minutes, and looking forward to a hot meal, followed by a soothing bath and a tall glass of wine. But she had to handle every guest that walked up in that five minutes, no matter how long it took her. But still avoid overtime. And here came one now. The woman moaned in abject irritation.

"Welcome to Battle Frontier!" she said. Her face and her voice were cheerful, but it was a very insincere cheerful, and the group before her could tell. "Do you have a reservation at one of our fine five star resorts?"

The man shook his head. "We came here to compete," he said.

Dear God, thought the woman. Another hopeful who thought he had what it took. "I'm sorry sir, but you can only compete by invitation. But feel free to book a modestly priced room and enjoy all of our civilian attractions, such as sitting in the audience at one of our-" the woman cut herself off abruptly as the man produced a signed invitation and a Frontier Pass. Jaw slack, she struggled to gather her wits. "I, um, that is, we, er, I mean I'm so _sorry_, sir! I apologize, but there are a few talentless _hacks_ who try to get in! Not that I could have _ever_ mistaken you for one of them! If you'll just tell me your name, I'll check it off on the list…"

"We're not on the list," said the man. "Last minute addition."

The woman was taken aback. Sighing with yet more irritation, she quickly opened the list of participants and scrolled down to the bottom. Sure enough, there was an empty spot waiting to be filled. Shaking her head in confusion and disbelief, she looked up. "Your name, sir?"

"David bar Yaweh."

"Ah. Ahh, how do you spell that last bit?"

David sighed. "Lowercase B, lowercase A, lowercase R, space. Capitol Y, lowercase A, lowercase W, lowercase E, lowercase H." He arched his right eyebrow. "I trust you need not hear me say 'period'?"

The woman bristled slightly at the condescension in his tone. "Right," she said brusquely, "That's that. And what will you be competing with?"

David jerked his chin, and the Charizard stepped forward. "Hearth, Charizard, Male." Hearth bowed and stepped back. The Lapras swished into his place. "Iceberg, Lapras, Female." Iceberg dipped her head and slowly backed away. The strange pokèmon floated onto David's shoulder. "Whisper, Latias, Female."

The woman paused in her typing. "Very funny, sir! Now please tell me her real species."

David gave her a soul-chilling gaze. "Did I stutter?"

"N-no sir, I'm sorry, I j-just don't handle jokes well this late at night."

David growled. "Is anyone _laughing_, miss? I'm not!"

The woman stared at him, nonplussed. "Oh come _on_!" She finally cried, "do you _really_ expect me to believe that that is the legendary _Latias_? That's _absurd_!"

"Latias ti lati s'la tias latias tias," interjected Whisper quietly.

The poor woman at the gate was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Attempting to gather her wits, she reminded herself that she had seen one or two other legendary pokèmon before. "I'm sorry sir," she said, "but legendary pokèmon are forbidden to compete in the tournament. You'll just have to find a more suitable contestant."

David sighed. "You have a list of all the pokèmon that are forbidden from competing, do you not?"

Inwardly the woman grumbled. "Yes sir, we _do_," she said. There was a sort of syrupy sweetness in the way she said it, as if she were speaking to a child, or a mentally deficient person.

"Well, _check_ it!" David snarled. "You'll be surprised!"

The woman sighed, and pulled up the list on her screen. She read it. Then she reread it. Then she read it a third time. She found all sorts of legendaries' names, and the names of quite a few strong pokèmon, but Latias wasn't on the list, nor was her brother Latios. Shocked, she closed the window and entered in Whisper's information. "Is there anything else sir?" she asked. She desperately wanted to finish with this strange group; her mind just couldn't handle any more.

"Yes," said David. "I want you to make a note to the seven Frontier Brains. Now don't try to deny them," he interrupted her protests, "because I know they exist. Tell them that we are here, on a mission. We have come to face _them_. And we will, and they will feel it. And they will _also_ feel the heels of our boots. As they're placed upon their throats." And with that, the four passed through the gate, leaving behind a woman who was bewildered, nonplussed…

And more than a little afraid.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sorry about how long this story took to update, my life's been a little hectic lately. But I'll try to update this more often, K? anyway, I don't really have much to say, but I do want to address something...The one review I've recieved for this story posed the question, 'Is he God'. I'm sorry to spoil any suspense, but the answer is flat out no. I may be presumptuous enough to try and write God into my fiction, but I am not gonna create a character that's supposed to be him. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or the battle frontier.**

**Note: "Speaking"  
_Thinking_  
Psychic conversations  
Flashbacks  
YELLING!**

**Chapter One:**

**Begin Anew**

_-smoke, flames-_

"_-blunt force trauma to the-"_

_-screeching tires, a dull thud-_

"_-morphine, he's coming to! Nurse, suction that-"_

_-something terrible is happening! Must-_

"_-Stand back folks, he's waking up. Sir, I need to-"_

_-Organ music coming from…somewhere?-_

"_-Dearly beloved-"_

_-Take me-_

"_-Dearly beloved, we are-"_

_-Take me-_

"_-Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-"_

_-Take me, damn it!-_

"_-Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the-"_

"Nooooooo!!"

With a thud, the man called David rolled off the bed. Groaning, he shook his head to clear the last vestiges of his nightmare, then stood. David rubbed his shoulder, sore from impact. Then, as if his fingers had a mind of their own, he ran them along his bare chest and the horrific testament to his grief. David closed his eyes, reliving the dream.

"Si lati lasita sila latias! LASITA!!!"

David glanced over at Whisper. The small dragon was thrashing on the bed, lost in her own nightmare. David considered waking her, but thought better of it. Sometimes bad dreams were the only place where loved ones still trod.

David sensed motion behind him. Hearth wandered into his field of vision. "Grrowrr…" he rumbled, holding David's clothes out to him.

David took his clothes with a silent nod. As cloth slid over flesh, they transformed from mere garments to armor, powerful and unyielding. _I _am_ David bar Yahweh,_ he mentally whispered.

As Hearth, now fully dressed, walked to the bed to wake whisper, Iceberg finished wrapping the scarf around her neck. Whisper gasped awake, then shook herself and started dressing. Iceberg glanced at David and trilled inquisitively.

David bowed his head in thought for a moment. "I was thinking we'd take on Lucy first, she's the easiest."

The others nodded. David inhaled deeply, the let his breath out slowly. "Ready?"

Whisper, Hearth, and Iceberg rumbled their assent. David looked up, dark purpose dancing in his eyes. "Let's go."

OOOOOOOO

Lucy yawned. She _hated_ annual status meetings. She hated the people that attended even more. Huffing impatiently, she eyed the other five frontier brains who were present. _Pussies,_ she mentally sneered. _One little trainer makes mention of the seven of us, and they're running around like Pidgey with their heads cut off._

She was momentarily swept by a feeling of pity for the poor sap. Very few trainers made it far enough to face a frontier brain, only four had ever faced all seven. Any trainer who made it to the brains was defeated, warned to stay quiet about them, and sent on their way. Those who refused to stay quiet were…_dealt with._ Lucy shivered as she considered what that dealing with would look like for this poor boy, and his family. However, such was the way of the frontier. She locked her emotions away in a cage and refocused on the meeting.

As usual, the other frontier brains were competing to see who could yell the loudest and longest. So far, it looked like Brandon was winning by default—most of the frontier brains were either too small or too out of shape to keep up with him. Lucy could, if she wanted, outpace his mouth, but she couldn't see the point. That left only one other brain who could silence him, her cousin-

"Annabel!"

Lucy watched as Annabel walked from the door to the head of the table. _Finally,_ she thought. Annabel signaled to the rest of the frontier brains that the meeting had begun. She took a deep breath.

"Here's what we know. There is a man staying in one of our hotels. He has with him a Charizard, a Lapras, and a Latias. He's—"

There was an instant uproar over the last. Annabel's voice rose above the chaos, sharp and commanding, "PEOPLE! _PLEASE!_"

The other brains quickly stopped speaking. Annabel swiftly surveyed the occupants of the room, then continued.

"Man in our hotel. Charizard, Lapras, Latias. He's calling himself David bar Yahweh, no idea what that means yet. And when he checked in, he referenced us directly. He pretty much threatened us."

There was silence. After a moment Greta stood up, causing Lucy to wince. Deceptively young and small, the petite amazon was easily the most violent of the frontier brains. Whatever she was about to say, it would be bloody.

"It seems to me," Greta said in a quiet voice, "that we are slipping. Why haven't we hunted this…_boy's_ family down and sent a few body parts to his hotel room yet?"

Annabel sighed in frustration. "We've tried! We can't find anything on him!"

Brandon pounded the table. "What do you MEAN we don't have anything on him! We have the BEST INTELLIGENCE IN THE WORLD! WE HAVE SOURCES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAW, IN FOURTEEN REGIONS, ON THREE CONTINENTS! A TOGEPI CAN'T TAKE A DUMP IN THE WOODS WITHOUT US KNOWING! SO HOW IN _BAAL'S NAME_ DON'T WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON HIM!!!"

Brandon took a deep breath, preparing to continue. But then he made the mistake of looking in Annabel's eyes. The two wrestled visually for a few minutes, then Brandon cast his glance away and sat. Annabel kept her gaze on him until he looked back up, then said, "in the future, Mr. Pyramid King, please refrain from such outbursts, since they distract the rest of us."

Inside, Lucy shivered. Each of the frontier brains was dangerous in their own way…Greta being a prime example. But Annabel was one of the worst…Annabel was by far the most ruthless. One had only to look at the remains of the former salon maiden, frozen in plastic next to her quarters, to know that. Lucy was very determined to keep far away from her cousin.

Annabel shook her head dismally. "In answer to your question, Brandon, no, we don't have any information on him. We've hit up all the sources we have, and they know less than we do. No name, no past, no family, hell, we don't even know what port he left from to get here! The kid's an enigma!"

Spencer stood up, the ever-present fanatical gleam tainting his eyes. "I say we forget about our sources, forget about what we don't know, and just kill him in his room!"

Annabel shot Spencer a condescending look. "We may have half the planet in our pockets, but not even the _Battle Frontier_ can wantonly kill one of its guests and get away with it. Both the free world and the organizations we own would take offense at it…they'd have to."

Noland stood up. "So what do we do about him?"

Lucy allowed herself a small smile. Of all the frontier brains, she liked the Factory Head the most. He was a cold, practical scientist who cared not one bit for human life, but at least he wasn't evil. So long as he was able to pursue his research, he left well enough alone. Sometimes, late at night, Noland was the only person on the island she could talk to. The only person who was able to help her sleep.

Annabel allowed herself a momentary expression of evil. "We fight him. We beat him. We let him go. When he's far enough out, we kill him and take his pokemon. Simple as that"

Heads around the table nodded, and Frontier Brains stood and started walking away. Lucy stood up and stretched, running her hands down her body. She preferred to wear form-fitting clothing in bright colors…it fit her. Shaking her hair out, she starting walking back to her quarters.

"Lu?" said Annabel.

Lucy turned around, her interest level escalating rapidly. Annabel hadn't used her pet name for Lucy since she was eleven, and to do so now meant she wanted something really big from her. Lucy walked up to the head of the table. "What's up?"

Annabel shuffled papers nervously, another out of character action. "This bar Yahweh guy? He's headed your way now."

Lucy quirked her right eyebrow up. "Yeah? So?"

Annabel looked directly into Lucy's eyes. "Don't lose."

Lucy stared at her cousin in shock. It had come out as a command, but Lucy knew Annabel well enough to understand when she was pleading. For the first time in years, Lucy stared directly into her cousin's eyes, and looked past the coldness on the surface to find…fear! Annabel was afraid of this guy!

Lucy bowed her head. "C'mon Anna, you know I'm the weakest link! I'll do my best, but no promises."

Annabel nodded grudgingly. Lucy turned around and walked away, allowing herself the smallest of smiles. _Ice queen's got a crack in the armor,_ she thought to herself.

OOOOOOOO

David stood in front of the Battle Pike's gaping maw. He glanced back at the pokemon behind him. "You ready?"

The three pokemon nodded their assent. David nodded sharply. "All right. Let's go."

The four trudged into the mouth of the building, ready to do battle with whatever they might find inside.


End file.
